Politicians from nine countries around the pacific rim have signed a joint statement published today by the global NGO’s Oxfam and ARTICLE 19, the statement calls for the release of the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) before it is signed, to allow for scrutiny and public debate.
The TPP is a sweeping new trade agreement that will affect consumer rights across the pacific rim, but which is being negotiated in secrecy. The national lawmakers signed up to a simple message calling for transparency, The message states:
“We, the undersigned legislators from countries involved in the negotiation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement, call on the parties to the negotiation to publish the draft text of the agreement before any final agreement is signed with sufficient time to enable effective legislative scrutiny and public debate.”